


The Game Is Just Beginning

by Lumeleo



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Character Death Fix, F/M, Fix-It, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 16:20:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18742645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lumeleo/pseuds/Lumeleo
Summary: After Thanos is defeated, or perhaps before that, things go somewhat differently.Or, righting wrongs and paving over plotholes to fix my biggest problems with Endgame.





	The Game Is Just Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I figure this is special enough to be the 400th work on my main pseud. :P

The Soul Stone was… confused.

This was not a familiar feeling, or indeed a concept. The Stones were not particularly given to emotion or any other sort of passion, quite content to spend their eternity merely existing. However, they did have a degree of consciousness, and as such awareness, and the things the Stone was currently made aware of were quite extraordinary.

It was not the first time a wanderer had come to seek out the stone, and no doubt it was far from last. The Stone had seen it all during the endless years. There were the greedy ones, who could not find anything they loved more than that which they desired; there were the hesitant ones, who could not bring themselves to destroy something so precious even for the ultimate prize; there were even those who willingly flung themselves over the edge only to gain nothing as the one left behind had never felt true love for them. All this, the Stone knew, all this, it could expect.

The Stone had never encountered a sight such as this, of two beings fighting each other to the best of their abilities, each trying to prove themselves more eager to make the sacrifice. It would work either way, the Stone could feel it, could feel the deep and desperate love a heart could hold only for the last thing it had left to live for. Yet it was that very love that kept the exchange out of their reach, as neither could bear to be the one left behind. This was not, the Stone was rather confident, the way things were supposed to go.

There were rules and checks and balances, yes, but the Stone had been there long before there had been a creature capable of understanding those rules, and the Stone would be left behind long after the very idea had faded from the fabric of existence. In this case, the Stone decided, it would be quite acceptable to see two desperate stuggles for sacrifice as the equivalent of one brought to its completion.

It wasn’t like death was the only way to sacrifice a soul and a heart, anyway. The Stone wasn’t, and then it Was, and for perhaps the first time, the Soul Stone was not paid for by blood.

(In another point in time and space and reality itself, a Stone that had been scattered returned to its slumber, awaiting the next being desperate enough to attempt to claim it.)

*

Loki was still not entirely sure what had happened, wouldn’t have sworn anything had happened at all, but he had always been adaptable.

There was a nagging feeling at the back of his mind that this wasn’t how things were supposed to go, that something was fundamentally wrong with the scene he had witnessed and indeed his escape, but he had no intention of returning to Earth to investigate further. Not when he had been given an opportunity, one he would have been a fool to pass by. He was sure the feeling would fade with time, or else he would grow used to it. Either way, he would not be rotting away in a cell, not on Earth and certainly not on Asgard.

For everything that he had lost, there was something exhilarating about being free to roam the entirety of the universe, bending space at his whim to be anywhere and everywhere. He had no army to lead, no kingdom to rule, but he also had no rules or limits save those he set himself, and that was perhaps even more wonderful. He was going to see the stars and learn all the mysteries, and there was surely no reason for him to return to the place he had once called home. Not when existence itself stretched out before him, full of possibilities that extended far beyond the throne of Asgard or the miserable realm of Midgard.

The feeling did fade in time, he found, becoming little more than an occasional annoyance that rose up whenever he was bored. That did not happen often, mind, not when he had every path and road laid out before him, all of space at his fingertips.

There were times when Loki dreamed of a different him, one who lost and gained things he never did or could, and sometimes he allowed himself to wonder if that would have been his path had he not seized the opportunity that had presented itself that day in Stark Tower. Such thoughts never lasted long, though, not when he always had something else to turn to, something fascinating and brilliant and foreign that could be made so much more interesting with just the slightest bit of mischief.

(Somewhere along the path a Stone claimed the place that had always belonged to it, though one could wonder whether it had simply been there all along.)

*

As the battle died down, Wanda was not sure she remembered how to breathe.

She barely even understood what was going on. She had seen Vision die not once, but twice, the first time by her hand and the second time despite it, and she had not had enough time to even process that, never mind grieve. Then she had lost a moment, only a moment, but apparently it had been years, and she had received the chance to take all her pain and grief and rage out on Thanos and his lackeys once again.

Now Thanos was gone, his army caught in the wind like so much dust and tears, and Wanda was left with nothing.

She heard people moving around her, desperate voices calling out to find loved ones lost again and again, but Wanda had no strength left to speak. She didn’t know who she would call for anyway, everyone her heart was truly aching for was gone, and all she could do was sit down before her shaking legs gave in.

Once or twice someone tried to speak to her, but she brushed them off. She couldn’t find the words to respond anyway, had screamed and raged until her voice was gone and her mind was as empty as her heart. Maybe later she would allow someone to take her away from the rubble, no doubt people were already arranging for shelter for those who did not simply return to Wakanda, but right now she simply needed the space to grieve.

Wanda heard someone calling her name, the voice still distant but growing closer much faster than it should have, and surely she was just imagining it but she couldn’t help but look up anyway, clinging to impossible hope.

She saw Pietro for a split second, it couldn’t be anyone but Pietro, rushing through the ruins and rubble as he had the last time she had seen him in Sokovia. The next moment he was right in front of her, drawing her up to her feet and right into his arms, holding on tight.

“Wanda,” he breathed, his voice and body both trembling but so, so real. “Wanda, god, Wanda…”

“Pietro.” She was almost afraid to look at him properly, scared that he would disappear the moment she did. Finally she lifted her head and it was him, it really was her brother, looking exactly as he had that horrible day. “You… how?”

“No idea.” Pietro shook his head, clinging to her. “Last thing I remember was getting gunned down. Then I woke up in what I’m assuming was the ruins of the city, and when I found the closest place with actual people all the news were talking about a big fight over here, and I figured this was the most likely place I’d find you.”

“You… ran all the way here?” Wanda blinked, then shook her head. “No, of course you did. Why would I even ask?” She clung to him, still not certain this wasn’t just some vision made up by her exhausted mind. If that was the case, she wanted to enjoy it as long as it lasted, and either way one life returned seemed quite possible next to all the other miracles that had already been wrought today.

She could tell Pietro was aching to ask questions, but for now he simply held her as she broke into tears, finally able to let out her fears and pain and grief while his arms kept her steady. She could have stayed there forever, just like this, except then she heard another familiar, impossible voice calling for her. Wanda’s eyes widened, disbelief and joy fighting for dominance in her heart.

She had never thought she would get the chance to properly introduce her brother and boyfriend to each other, and yet.

(A brilliant, shining mind had weighed the odds and chosen the risks, and in the middle of all the destruction he had brought back just a couple of lives lost, and one of them is bearing a Stone that had once again given life to the very brightest fruit of his creator’s mind.)

*

Scott was not, in fact, sure if he had survived.

He was leaning towards survived, if only because he was aching all over and he would damn well hope being dead would be less painful. However, he wasn’t entirely certain either way as he stumbled over the rubble, trying to find familiar faces or at least a spot to sit down. At the moment even the pieces of what had once been load-bearing walls were starting to look pretty inviting.

“Scott?”

Sam’s voice made his head snap up, just in time to brace himself for the impact. Despite his attempt at anticipating the flying hug, though, they probably would have ended up both crashing into the ground if Sam hadn’t struck out with his wings at the last moment. It was still a rather wavering hug as they more or less leaned into each other, both exhausted beyond belief.

“Sam,” Scott gasped, and the name itself felt like too much, too hopeful. “Thank fuck, you’re alive…”

“More or less, yeah.” Sam’s voice was rough, his body shivering with the aftermath of excertion, yet he somehow managed to feel like the most solid thing in the world. It did help that he was being compared to the rather unstable rubble rolling under Scott’s feet, but that didn’t change the fact he was nice and steady. “We both are. And this time, we’re damn well going to stay that way.”

Scott managed a shaky grin. “Think this’ll work as an interview for joining the Avengers?”

“I’d say so, but then again I would be happy to keep you around just to look pretty, so I might be biased.” Sam smirked. “Well, maybe after you’ve had a shower, I would.”

Scott was about to say something back, something equally teasing and exhilarated by the sheer lightness of being alive. However, his train of thought came to a screeching halt as he saw someone else approach.

“Scott?” Hope stepped closer, and Scott froze despite himself. He knew he was fine, he would be fine, Sam would not let him be anything but fine, and yet —

“Don’t.” The word sounded foreign as it fell from his lips, his voice weak and almost cracking. His hands were clutching on Sam’s arms, though he couldn’t tear his eyes away from Hope. “Don’t come closer.”

“What’s going on?” Hope frowned and made to step forward, but thankfully stopped when Scott made a strangled sound. “Are you okay?”

“No. No, I’m not.” Scott squeezed his eyes shut. He’d hardly had the time to think of, well, anything. Hope had barely left him alone since the whole mess, and then he’d been stuck in the quantum realm, and ever since he got out everything had been one horror after another. He might have actually been happy to see Hope during the battle, if only because it had been proof that things had indeed been fixed. Now, though, he wasn’t struggling for his life anymore, and everything he hadn’t quite managed to process before came crashing down all at once.

“Scott?” Sam was there, holding onto him, steady and solid still. “Scott, what’s wrong?”

“What isn’t?” Scott drew a shuddering breath. “I didn’t really appreciate getting drugged and kidnapped, or almost getting thrown in jail for a couple of decades after I’ve been doing everything I can to be around for Cassie, or being held hostage and then getting yelled at when I’m trying to keep my life from falling apart, oh yeah and having no choice but to risk my life just on the off chance my nightmare might actually mean something.” Scott managed to open his eyes, vaguely aware that Sam’s grip on him tightened. “Oh, also, getting kissed out of the blue while I was barely conscious? Also kinda creepy in hindsight.”

“Scott.” Sam’s voice was a low growl, his eyes turned to glare at Hope. “What did she do?”

“Talk about ungrateful.” Hope crossed her arms over her chest, and if Scott had held any hope that she’d be shocked when she realized how her actions had come across, it was mercilessly squashed. “Helping us find my mom was the least you could have done to make up for making us into fugitives.”

“And waiting three damn days so I wouldn’t be in danger of losing my family was the least you could have done in return! Oh, and actually asking for help instead of dragging me off when you knew damn well I couldn’t go anywhere without risking getting caught.” Scott was maybe leaning against Sam, just a little. “Also, you were using and developing the illegal tech without me, don’t you dare to blame me for the fact your dad basically tricked me into wearing the suit.”

“You should probably just walk away now.” Sam was definitely growling now. “I’ve been blasting a lot of skulls today, I can add one more.”

“Well! I can see I’m not wanted here.” Hope’s eyes narrowed. “Are you at least going to return the suit?”

“You can try to find it somewhere in this rubble.” Scott was shaking now, and probably would have fallen if not for Sam’s arms around him. “Anything else, I’m just gonna call it payment for helping bring you and your parents back to existence.”

“Let’s just find somewhere for you to sit down.” Sam didn’t let go of him, which was probably for the best. “As for you, lady, I don’t know the details, but this is definitely not the time and place. And you’d best believe I’m not leaving his side for the foreseeable future.”

Scott was still not entirely sure what was even going on, certainly didn’t know what he should say, but he knew Sam was here and Sam was safe and he was going to be all right.

(In a gap somewhere between what is and what could be, a Stone is isn’t is isn’t, flowing between the very building blocks of existence, and while there is never anything certain each person will have to find their own truth.)

*

”Peter?”

Peter looked up, swallowing as he saw the woman standing in front of him with a tired smile. “Miss Potts? Er, I mean, Mrs. Stark?” He made to stand up, only for her to gesture for him to stay seated.

“Just Pepper will do.” Pepper sat down in the seat next to his, looking far too prim and proper for someone who had been fighting for the fate of the world mere hours earlier. “How are you feeling?”

“Uh. Pretty good, considering I seem to have lost five years or so?” Peter sighed, hugging himself. “Still pretty terrified, though.”

“Oh, I agree with that sentiment. However, I’m sure the doctors are doing everything they can.” She paused. “You know, Tony spoke about you often these last five years.”

“He — he did?” Peter blinked, staring at her. It sounded unlikely, yet she had no reason to lie.

“Oh, he did. You were one of the main reasons he agreed to help Steve and the others with all this time travel stuff in the first place.” Pepper fell quiet for a moment again. “He kept saying how he wished he had told you something important.”

“Something important?” Peter swallowed. It had to indeed be important if Tony had been thinking about it, about him, all that time. “What’s that?”

“I know Tony wanted to tell you himself, but considering the circumstances, I don’t think he would mind me breaking the news instead.” Pepper glanced in the direction of the closest door as though expecting someone to walk in, then turned back to Peter. “Peter… Tony is your father.”

He must have heard wrong. There was no way he’d just heard Pepper tell him he was actually related to Tony Stark. As she just kept looking at him, though, he managed to squeak out a faint, “What?”

“I don’t know the details, but he suspected it for a while, and at some point he actually got a DNA test done. Apparently he got a blood sample while working on your suit — don’t worry, everything got done in his private lab, nobody else found out anything about you or your abilities.” Pepper reached for his hand, giving it a small squeeze. “The test confirmed that Tony is your biological father. Not that it would make much of a difference for him, anyway. Once he decides to care about someone, he doesn’t let go.”

“Ah.” Peter blinked, trying to will back the tears that were threatening to fall. “I — I didn’t know. I had no idea…”

“I know. That was one of Tony’s biggest regrets.” Pepper somehow managed to smile at him, her face pale but eyes genuine. “Morgan will be thrilled to find out she’s got a big brother.”

That was when Peter’s resolve broke and he burst into big, ugly sobs. Pepper didn’t seem to mind, holding onto his hand as he cried.

They both cried again many, many hours later as an exhausted doctor stepped out to inform them that while they couldn’t save Tony’s hand and arm, his general condition was stable for now.

(A Stone that was used to judging the worth of people had made its assessment, had taken the price it demanded of those who would wield it, and just like a man too stubborn not to survive it had been too powerful to ever truly be destroyed.)

*

”Are you sure you don’t want me to set up anything?” Shuri was leaning against the fence, looking around their little farm as though she were another curious local girl rather than a princess and the most notable intelligence on the planet. “It would be no problem at all. A teeny tiny sprinkler system, at least?”

“Look, I know you mean well, but that would kind of ruin the whole point.” Bucky shook his head, because apparently Bucky had no trouble speaking with the princess as though she were one of his little sisters. His sisters were long lost to time now, but he had Shuri instead, and while Steve knew it would never be the same he was glad Bucky had someone at least. “I set up this place to have something to do that’s not killing people, not so I can get away with as little work as possible.”

“I’ve got to say I agree.” Steve nodded. “We’ve got enough to do to keep us busy, and enough free time to rest. I’ve spent more than enough of my life with hurry up and wait.”

“I’m sure you could find something more interesting to do than hauling around watering cans, though.” Shuri sighed, then moved along before Steve could even point out they had had quite enough of interesting activities. “Well, if you think of anything, let me know. I’m always happy to get more stuff to thinker with.”

“Yeah, we know.” Bucky grinned, flexing the fingers of his metal arm as though to show off. “Seriously, though, we’re happy as it is. A farm and some goats is more than enough.” 

"Wakanda owes you much more than this. But if you’d rather be stubborn, I guess it can’t be helped.” Shuri shrugged, then grinned. “I’ll be sure to drop by every now and then with some industrial-strength sunscreen, though.”

Steve wasn’t entirely sure how his life had come to this, how a simple boy from Brooklyn had ended up raising goats in deepest Africa with his best friend. He had considered changing things, had thought for a moment of taking the long way back from his trip to the past, but had decided against it in the end. The people he had left behind had already lived their lives, and it wasn’t Steve’s place to interfere with that. Besides, he had spent years telling people to move on. It would have been pretty hypocritical of him to do the opposite now that they finally had a future again.

Bucky had been the one to suggest retirement, had wanted to return to this little farm he had built during his recovery. Bucky was done with fighting, probably for the rest of his life, and Steve had to admit he agreed. He had taken enough lives and lost enough loved ones for several lifetimes. It was about time for him to leave the shield to Sam and enjoy some peace instead.

They had all the time they could hope for, now.

(Somewhere, sometime, a Stone had been, and was, and would always be.)


End file.
